---------------------------------------------------------- AeroElectric-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Sat 01/19/19: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 08:18 AM - Re: Battery (H. Ivan Haecker) 2. 08:31 AM - Re: Battery (C&K) 3. 05:48 PM - Re: Battery (Eric Page) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 08:18:44 AM PST US From: "H. Ivan Haecker" Subject: Re: AeroElectric-List: Battery I contacted EarhX, and given the parameters of my engine and the fact that there will be no onboard charging, they recommend,at minimum, an EarthX 24C which is 7.8Ah with 270 CCA. Of course, the larger the battery, the more engine starts available before recharge. I meant to ask them about a solar cell for charging, but forgot to do that. I=99ll call again next week and post their response. Ivan On Fri, Jan 18, 2019 at 2:59 PM Charlie England wrote: > > > On Fri, Jan 18, 2019 at 11:26 AM Robert L. Nuckolls, III < > nuckolls.bob@aeroelectric.com> wrote: > >> At 05:30 PM 1/17/2019, you wrote: >> >> They would only output about 14V Max. They don't have enough power to >> damage anything as I understood it, but that was with a lead acid batter y. >> If you talking to the battery guys, ask them and let us know what they h ave >> to say about it. >> >> >> Solar battery chargers are at best, unpredictable >> 'trickle' chargers. Their output almost never meets >> nameplate numbers. Output is subject to vagaries >> of the sunshine. Output is not controlled to prevent >> overcharging of the battery. >> >> My recommendation for a battery-only electrical >> system, particularly if the battery is a light >> weight and relatively expensive lithium device >> is to take it home between flights and put it >> on a charger-maintainer recommended by the >> battery's manufacturer. >> >> I had readers doing this with SVLA batteries >> 25 years ago who reported excellent performance >> and longevity from the battery. This was common >> to both sail plane owners and owners of powered >> ships with electrical needs but no engine >> driven power sources. >> >> >> Bob . . . >> > As a data point, a friend who sells rides in a 1929 TravelAir biplane did > it for years with a battery-only starting system. He did finally have a > generating system installed for convenience, but the fact that he ran a > commercial operation with a 'total loss' system shows it can work well. I > wish I could tell you the size of the battery he used, but I can't rememb er > and he never knew (good pilot, but mechanic, not so much...). > > Charlie > ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 08:31:46 AM PST US Subject: Re: AeroElectric-List: Battery From: C&K On 18/01/2019 12:19 PM, Robert L. Nuckolls, III wrote: > At 05:30 PM 1/17/2019, you wrote: >> They would only output about 14V Max. They don't have enough power to >> damage anything as I understood it, but that was with a lead acid >> battery. If you talking to the battery guys, ask them and let us know >> what they have to say about it. > > Solar battery chargers are at best, unpredictable > 'trickle' chargers. Their output almost never meets > nameplate numbers. Output is subject to vagaries > of the sunshine. Output is not controlled to prevent > overcharging of the battery. > > My recommendation for a battery-only electrical > system, particularly if the battery is a light > weight and relatively expensive lithium device > is to take it home between flights and put it > on a charger-maintainer recommended by the > battery's manufacturer. > > I had readers doing this with SVLA batteries > 25 years ago who reported excellent performance > and longevity from the battery. This was common > to both sail plane owners and owners of powered > ships with electrical needs but no engine > driven power sources. > > > Bob . . . > No doubt all true for unregulated solar arrays. However there are chargers similar to this $3.25 module that I have found to be more accurate and consistent than the AC powered Schumacher chargers for lead acid VRLA batteries. These are not unregulated trickle chargers but rather multi mode optimized chargers that adhere to best practical charging protocols. The Max Power Point Tracking (MPPT) input lets the input voltage and power stay optimum for power transfer. All for a couple of dollars delivered. ebay item 183558004137 It looks like this particular one works with a solar input of 6 to 18 volts. There are definitely some cheap viable options available for the Do-It-Yourselfer. Even more are available for Lithium batteries. Ken ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 05:48:07 PM PST US Subject: AeroElectric-List: Re: Battery From: "Eric Page" yellowduckduo(at)gmail.co wrote: > chargers similar to this $3.25 module that I have found to be more accurate and consistent than the AC powered Schumacher chargers for lead acid VRLA batteries. These are not unregulated trickle chargers but rather multi mode optimized chargers that adhere to best practical charging protocols. The Max Power Point Tracking (MPPT) input lets the input voltage and power stay optimum for power transfer. All for a couple of dollars delivered. > ebay item 183558004137 > It looks like this particular one works with a solar input of 6 to 18 volts. There are definitely some cheap viable options available for the Do-It-Yourselfer. Even more are available for Lithium batteries. A little digging reveals some concerns about this charger. The IC used on the module is the Consonance CN3767 (datasheet here (http://www.consonance-elec.com/pdf/datasheet/DSE-CN3767.pdf)). While it *is* a true MPPT charger (a rarity on eBay at this price point), it's probably not going to function as you would like, for a couple of reasons. First, the seller's claim that the module can accept solar panel inputs between 6 and 18V, while true, is misleading. The CN3767 uses a buck topology, not buck-boost. This means that it can only *reduce* the input voltage. Any time the solar panel's output falls below the battery voltage minus a diode drop, the battery will not be charged at all. So to charge a battery that's sitting at 12V, the minimum solar panel output will be >12.7V. Second, the photos of the module show that the maximum power point voltage (Vmpp) is set lower than it should be for a low-power ( Read this topic online here: http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=487094#487094 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message aeroelectric-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/AeroElectric-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/aeroelectric-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/aeroelectric-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.